THE BRAND: LEVI’S
The Logo: Founded in 1886 with the two horse logo that still exists on its waist patches, Levi’s became notorious for its ultra-durable work pants. By 1936, denim was a dime a dozen and Levi’s needed a way to make its jeans stand out. The red “tab device”, as it was called, was added to the back right pocket of Levi’s jeans for a signature contrast against dark blue denim.
The Story: Levi’s knew it had something good from day one, and its two horse logo set out to reinforce that. Recognizing that the company’s patent on the pants would expire in 1890, Levi’s did all it could to make a reputation for itself while Levi’s, and only Levi’s, held the key to blue jeans. The logo, with two horses walking in opposite directions trying to tear a pair of Levi’s jeans in half, resulted in the brand being called “The Two Horse Brand”. The name “Levi’s” wasn’t even fully adopted until 1928.
The 1936 tab device and company logo were revamped in 1967 by the design firm Walter Landor and Associates, who created a red batwing logo to mimic the shape of the pocket on a pair of Levi’s. In 2011, the batwing was distilled down to just the color form (no Levi’s name) and a copyright symbol, making a maximal statement with a minimalist logo and again reminding shoppers that Levi’s is the definitive denim manufacturer.